Guard rails for beds



Oct. 9, 1962 c. E. MURco-rT GUARD RAILS FOR BEDS Filed Feb. l0, 1960INVENToR. HH/m55 E. MUR coTr BY HTT'ORNEY United States Patent Oiitice3,056,975 Patented Oct. 9, 1962 3,056,975 GUARD RAILS FR BEDS Charles E.Murcott, 134 Cabot Road, Massapequa, N.Y. Filed Feb. 10, 1960, Ser. No.7,839 6 claims. (ci. 5 331) This invention relates to what are generallyreferred to as guard rails or fences used in conjunction with beds toprevent accidental displacement of an occupant from sides of the bed.More particularly, the invention deals with a device of the characterdescribed employing a substantially rectangular supporting frame havingmeans for adjustment thereof to adapt the same for mounting on bed railshaving varied spacing, as well as means for adjustably clamping theframe to the rails.

Still more particularly, the invention `deals, with a device of thecharacter described employing rail or fence units, including means forswingably supporting the same on sides of said frame outwardly of thebed rails for movement into raised operative positions and loweredinoperative positions, each unit including means for retaining the samein raised position.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from thefollowing description, when taken together with the accompanyingdrawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosedand, in which, the separate parts are designated by suitable referencecharacters in each of the views and, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic View of one side of a device made according tomy invention, showing the same in raised operative position in fulllines and diagrammatically illustrating the same in lowered position indotted lines.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section on the line 2 2 of FIG. l, with parts ofthe construction broken away and parts shown in elevation.

FIG. 3 is a section on the broken line 3 3 of FIG. 2, parts of theconstruction being shown in elevation.

FIG. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of FIG. 2 and illustrating part of acompanion side member of the supe porting frame which I employ and partsof the construction being broken away; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section substantially on the line 5 5 of FIG. 1,parts of the construction being shown in elevation.

In order to generally portray my guard rail as applied to the side railsof a bedstead, I have diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. l of thedrawing one side of a device made according to lmy invention, generallyoutlining the parts, with no thought of accuracy and detail showing ofthe parts by virtue of the small size of the illustration. However, insaid ligure, represents one of the side rails of a bedstead, the latterbeing shown in enlarged cross-section in FIG. 2 of the drawing and inplan in FIG. 3. As each side of the device is of the same construction,the brief description of the one side illustrated in FIG. 1 of thedrawing is deemed to be sufficient.

At 11 I have illustrated a substantially rectangular supporting frame,consisting of side tubular rails 12 and, in FIG. 4, part of thecompanion rail is indicated at 12. These two rails are joined adjacentend portions thereof in transverse tubular frame members 13, one ofwhich is shown in section in FIG. 4 of the drawing. Each of these tubeshave fixed in end portions thereof nuts 14 adapted to receive, at oneend, a short screw 15 and, at the other end, a long screw 16. The endportions 17 of the tubular frames 13 are fashioned to conform with thecontour of the frame 12, as indicated, in part, in FIG. 2 of the drawingin securely clamping said end to the frame 12; whereas, a nut 18 isadjustable on the long screw 16 to clamp the other side frame 12 betweenthe same and the head 16' of the screw, as clearly illustrated in FIG. 4of the drawing. This long screw construction enables the frame to berigidly coupled with bed rails 10 that vary in their transverse spacing.Considering FIG. 1 of the drawing for the moment, the screw 15 isindicated at the right of said figure and the corresponding screw at theother end of the rail 12 is indicated at 15 in said figure.

The rails 12, 12 project at their ends beyond the transverse framemembers 13 and mounted therein are pivot bolts 19. Welded or otherwisesecured to said rails are upwardly extending U-shaped brackets 20 havinga short outer side 21 and a long inner side 22, note FIG. 2 of thedrawing.

Welded or otherwise secured to the side 22 and the rails 12, 12 is asupplemental plate 23, to the upper end portion of which is welded a bedrail engaging crossbar 24, the ends of which protrude beyond the sidesof the plate 23, as will clearly appear from a consideration of FIG. 3of the drawing. No representation of welding is noted in the drawing. Itwill be understood, however, that engaged or adjacent surfaces of therespective parts will be welded together, in manners commonly known inthe art. This welding definitely fixes the position of the brackets 20and plates 23 on the rails 12, 12', as well as 23 on the side 22 of thebracket and the crossbar 24 on the plate 23. Further, in addition tocontrolling spacing of the brackets, the fixed mounting maintains thebrackets at right angles to the rails 12, 12.

The side 22 of the bracket 20, as well as the plate 23 and crossbar 24are apertured to receive a long shank nut 25 for actuating a railengaging hook 26' in definitely clamping the frame 11 to the rails ofthe bedstead. The head of the nut 25 has grooves 27 on the surfacethereof for receiving a suitable wrench in adjustably securing the hood26 in position, this operation being performed when tubular links 28 ofa rail or fence unit 29 are in their dotted line position, as noted inFIG. 1 of the drawing. The links 28 are pivoted at their lower ends onthe bolt 19, as clearly seen in FIG. 2 of the drawing, and the upper endportions of each of these rods have hinge blocks 30 suitably fixedtherein and thereto, as indicated at the left of FIG. 5 of the drawing.

The unit 29 includes what may be termed a fence portion 31, defined byside tubular rods 32, a top crosshead 33 and two parallel brace rods 34and 35. In FIG. 5 of the drawing, part of one of the side tubular rods32 is shown and a` block 36, similar to the blocks 30 is suitably fixedin the lower end portion of each of the rods 32, the blocks 30, 36having reduced recessed portions 30', 36' apertured to receive acoupling bolt 37 forming a pivotal coupling between the links 28 and therods 32, the bolts 37 being diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 1 ofthe drawing.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that, as the unit 29 moves fromthe raised operative position shown in full lines in FIG. 1 to thelowered or inoperative position indicated in dotted lines in saidfigure, the links 28 swing on the pivots 19 and the rods 32 swing on thepivots 37, this swinging operation taking place outside of the Ibed rail10.

At this time, it will be well to mention that each rail or fence unit atthe opposed sides of the bed are independently operable. In other words,there is no positive mechanical connection between the separate sideunits, but the structure of each unit will be the same.

The bracket 20, shown at the right of FIG. l of the drawing, or the side22 thereof, has fixed to the outer side edge thereof, as well as to theedge of the plate 23 by welding or otherwise, one plate 38 of anL-shaped spring coupling 39, the other plate 40 having a flared end 41and an aperture 42.

In FIG. 3 of the drawing, I have diagrammatically i1- lustrated at 43 aconventional, well known in the art, spring actuated button, which ismounted in the righthand link 28 of the unit 29 and normally engages theaperture 42 in support of the unit 29 in the raised operative position.However, by pressing inwardly by the iinger of a hand upon the button43, to a degree where the bevelled end 44 of the button is in alinementwith the inner surface 45 of the plate 40, then the unit 29 may bemanually swung from the raised to the lowered position. On the otherhand, in moving the unit from the lowered position to the raisedposition, the bevelled end 44 of the button 43 will automatically rideover the rounded end 41 of the plate 40, until such time as the lbuttonis in alinement with the aperture 42; whereupon, the button 43 willspring outwardly and securely retain the unit in its raised position. Inreferring to the coupling 39 as a spring coupling, it will be apparentthat the plate 40 is capable of yielding to a slight extent in themovement of the unit into coupled position. Here, it is also to be notedthat the link 28 either bears upon or is arranged in close proximity tothe plate 38 of the coupling 39, note FIG. 3, in maintaining the unit 29in upright position. In this respect, it will be apparent that the plate38 actually forms a stop, checking upward swinging movement of the unit29.

It will be understood that by providing the fixed supporting frame, adenite positioning of each of the units 29 at sides of the bedstead ismade possible without any adjustments. In other words, the spacingbetween the end brackets 20 is definite and consistent with the spacingof the side rods 32 and the links 28 which extend in alinement therewithwhen the unit 29 is in the raised operative position. It is also pointedout, at this time, that, when the fence portion 31 is in the lowered ordotted position, the lower rod 35 of the fence portion rests upon thepivot end portion of the lefthand link 28, thus maintaining thesubstantial parallel relationship of the fence portion, asdiagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 1.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A guard rail for beds comprising a substantially rectangularsupporting frame, comprising side tubular rails and transverse tubularframe members arranged inwardly of and tixed to ends of said side rails,means at said ends of the side rails for adjustably iixing said frame tospaced side rails of a bedstead, said means comprising brackets, guardrail units each comprising a U-shaped frame deiined by side rods and acrosshead forming a fence portion, links pivoted to said side rods, saidlinks 'being pivotally supported in connection with the brackets at eachside of said frame, an L-shaped spring coupling on one of the bracketsat each side of the frame operatively engaging one of said links of eachunit in support of said unit in raised operative position, and a springactuated button mounted in each of said one link and operativelyengaging said coupling in retaining said units in raised operativeposition.

2. A guard rail as deiined in claim l, wherein said transverse tubularframe members include means adjustably clamping said frame members withsaid side tubular rails.

3. A guard rail as defined in claim 1, wherein the side rods of saidunits and adjacent ends of said links include pivot blocks forming thepivotal coupling of the units with said links.

4. A guard rail as dened in claim 1, wherein the rst named meanscomprises an adjustable bed rail engaging member on each of saidbrackets.

5. A guard rail as dened in claim 4, wherein each bracket includes acrossbar greater in length than the width of the bracket engaging thebed rails in support of the frame on said rails.

6. A guard rail as defined in claim 1, wherein part of said springcouplings form a stop checking movement of said unit into raisedoperative position.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 354,880Amon Dec. 28, 1886 2,467,800 Backlin, et al Apr. 19, 1949 2,587,291 DesRochers Feb. 26, 1952 2,594,926 Hoffman Apr. 29, 1952 2,817,855 PrattDec. 31, 1957 3,021,534 Hausted Feb. 20, 1962

